The White County Baseball and Softball seasons are winding down and fans have been able to enjoy the action thanks to Warrior Media.
White County High School’s Warrior Media program brings sports action into homes and gives the students behind the camera a shot at a media career.
White County Senior John Layne was not a sports fan when he joined but his video skills have him set to enroll at MTSU. Layne said he hesitated in joining at first, but now he sees what he can achieve.
“I don’t think I would have had much of an experience. Because before I was in the media class at the high school, I never really thought about just using your phone as a camera,” Layne said. “But after being in that class you realize how much you can do with very little. It’s almost mind blowing how much you can do with very little. It really opens your eyes to how you view things that other people have made and how it was made.”
White County High School A/V Production Teacher Candice Allen said giving students an opportunity to create and problem solve prepares them for the competitive world of media. Allen said she holds these students to a high standard to represent the community, and to be prepared for their next path.
“I get asked alot, ‘this is such a big program for there not to be a lot of career opportunities right here in White County or even the surrounding area,” Allen said. “And to that I say, many of my kids do move. If they go into this field in college they are moving. We are a feeder program for MTSU. I have a student that is going to a film institute in Orlando when she graduates in May.”
Layne is covering baseball right now during the spring, but found his groove while taking part during basketball and football. Layne spends his few free moments during the baseball game trying to find ways to improve his broadcast each game.
“While you’re in the moment you’re like, wow I’m sitting here with a tripod and a phone right on top, but I feel like it’s the first step up the ladder to like the ultimate goal,” Layne said. “Once you get to that ultimate goal, I think everybody at least one time will look back from where they started and seeing how they improved and what they enjoyed about getting started in the first place.”
Layne had his mind focused on more than just the action on the field. He was monitoring his WiFi signal, checking his viewer count and making sure he had enough battery so fans would not miss a minute of the action.
Allen said these are the skills she wants them to cultivate so they have a leg up against their competition.
“They’re going to gain skills that can be translated into any career path. They’re going to feel more confident, their self confidence is going to increase,” Allen said. “Their public speaking, their awareness of just how they interact with others. We just see a lot of growth in that aspect and of course there’s the whole technology side of it. Our society today is so technology driven, these students are comfortable with it by the time that they have completed this program. They’re comfortable with the computers, they’re comfortable with the editing software. We use an industry standard editing software, what they use in the real world to produce news broadcasts, TV shows, movies.”
Layne said that when he started he was intimidated by just the idea of taking part in White County’s school announcements. However, Layne said now he has the confidence and skills to take on whichever media path he chooses.
“My main dream, I wouldn’t say it’s sports like this but I would say it’s probably either movies or a television series,” Layne said. “I think the way that sports can help is because you’re still behind the camera but you’re doing two different things. It’s some experience, it’s different experience and I think it’s good to have a range of what to choose from.”
Allen said she starts recruiting her Warrior Media students when they’re in middle school. She said this creates the cycle where students like Layne can set the example of what Warrior Media represents and where it can take them, when it’s the next students turn to lead.
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